The Ethiopians: Engine 54 (1968)

Subtitled Let’s Ska and Rocksteady, this debut by one of Jamaica’s greatest and most loved harmony vocal groups can sound a little corny these days (My Love) but when they get their groove on with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics (Train to Skaville) you can hear the world of rocksteady and ska taking a grip and primed to slow down into classic reggae. And lovers rock isn’t far away either (Give Me Your Love). Doo-wop misheard gone Caribbean with that distinctive beat and horns.

Next: Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Wailing Wailers; The Abyssinians, Rock Steady Classics; The Heptones, Cool Rasta; Culture, Two Sevens Clash

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